INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene’s most engaging chefs
N. Michael Marie,
Executive Chef/Owner, Esta Esta Restaurant
Esta Esta Restaurant
4000 William Penn Highway, Monroeville;
412.372.4414, facebook.com/Esta-Esta
On the Menu:
Fine Italian-American fare offering full-service
and contemporary dining. Savory dishes
include—but aren’t limited to—everything
from lobster, scallops, flounder, shrimp, NY
strip filet, porter house steak and succulent
veal dishes to pizza and pasta, plus a separate
bar menu. The menu items are made from
scratch and meats are all cut in-house. Salads
are accompanied by homemade dressings
and a variety of soups are offered on the
menu and by the quart.
What led you to own Esta Esta
Restaurant?
In 1955, my parents, Nicholas and
Helen, opened a restaurant called
Marie’s Restaurant. A few years
later, they got a liquor license. It was then that
they changed the restaurant name to Esta Esta.
It came after they heard a story about a German
bishop from the 1400s. The bishop was on his way
to Rome in search of some unknown place and
along with him was his wine taster. When he and
his wine taster arrived in Rome they came upon a
tavern. Est. Est. Est., meaning “This is the Place,”
was inscribed on the front of the tavern. On the
anniversary of the bishop’s death they pour wine
on his grave in honor of his memory. Inspired
by this story of establishing a meaning to finding
something you’re in search of, my parents changed
Marie’s to Esta Esta.
Q A
When did you know you wanted to be a
chef?
I was 8 years old and we lived upstairs above the
restaurant. My parents made me a dishwasher.
They would stack wooden pop cases on top of each
other so I could reach the dish board to wash the
dishes. When I was washing dishes they started to
teach me other things like cooking, and it became
a culinary art to me. I’ve been cooking since I was
12. I eventually earned my culinary degree from
the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde
Park, New York. But my parents’ kitchen is where
my love for cooking began. And it never ended. I
became a Hilton Hotel Vice President of Food and
Beverage for the East Coast.
What led you from a food and beverage
director back to cooking at Esta Esta?
In 2001 we lost our dad and I had to bring my
family home again to take care of my mom and to
take over the restaurant.
Who has influenced your cooking the most?
Jack Griffin, one of the top five chefs in the U.S.
from the 1960s through the 1990s. He was the
most influential person when I was with Quality
Inn Hotel and Resorts. He was a genius, and taught
me how to make live Maine Lobster Thermatore.
What kitchen tool can’t you live without?
My 12-inch French knife. I can create any dish—
meat, seafood, chicken, veal; as long as I keep
an edge on it I’m ready. I have my own set called
Connoisseur and nobody touches it—the set
belongs to me.
What is your best cooking advice for a
novice?
First and foremost, have your recipe in front of
you. Second, prepare, weigh and place all of your
N. Michael Marie, Executive Chef/Owner at Esta Esta
Restaurant.
ingredients out before you cook. If you follow a
procedure as simple as this, it will make recreating
your recipe easier the next time.
What’s your favorite quick meal to prepare
at home?
I can do anything quick. I’m fast. My favorite
though is a sauce, such as a hollandaise sauce,
over steak. My meats are always cut, just sitting in
the refrigerator waiting for me. Also, my seafood
favorite is black sea bass sautéed in lemon butter
and dry Sherry wine.
Other than your restaurant, where’s your
favorite place to eat?
I have two favorite places. The first one is Hyeholde
Restaurant in Coraopolis. I enjoy their roasted rack
of lamb. My second favorite is Rico’s in the North
Hills. I usually order the Caesar salad and any
seafood they serve for that day.
What is your favorite go-to ingredient?
Garlic. I have fresh garlic every day. At the
restaurant we purée it with olive oil so the garlic
doesn’t turn green. I keep it refrigerated and add it
into everything I cook. I also use it as a rub on my
meats before I cook.
What’s the next big food or dining trend?
Food trends are changing all the time. Uber is
delivering food now. That speaks volumes. There
will be even more delivery food services because
it’s taking off like crazy. n
Sausage-stuffed banana peppers.
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—Reese Randall